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73-444: Freedom National Bank was founded in 1964 by investors including Jackie Robinson and Dunbar Simms McLaurin . The New York Times referred to it as "biracial" when it was founded in 1964. A 1966 Harvard Crimson article was critical of the bank. Freedom National competed with another Black owned and focused bank, the older Carver Federal Savings and Loan Association (now Carver Bancorp ). Freedom National failed in 1990 during

146-522: A Southern exhibition tour, for example), the Montreal fan base enthusiastically supported Robinson. Whether fans supported or opposed it, Robinson's presence on the field was a boon to attendance; more than one million people went to games involving Robinson in 1946, an astounding figure by International League standards. In the fall of 1946, following the baseball season, Robinson returned home to California and briefly played professional basketball for

219-649: A single in the same game. The Dodgers briefly moved into first place in the National League in late August 1948, but they ultimately finished third as the Braves went on to win the pennant and lose to the Cleveland Indians in the World Series . Racial pressure on Robinson eased in 1948 when a number of other black players entered the major leagues. Larry Doby (who broke the color barrier in

292-501: A Negro player "with guts enough not to fight back." After obtaining a commitment from Robinson to "turn the other cheek" to racial antagonism, Rickey agreed to sign him to a contract for $ 600 a month, equal to $ 10,155 today. Rickey did not offer compensation to the Monarchs, instead believing all Negro league players were free agents due to the contracts not containing a reserve clause. Among those with whom Rickey discussed prospects

365-702: A black ballplayer. In the mid-1940s, Branch Rickey , club president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers , began to scout the Negro leagues for a possible addition to the Dodgers' roster. Rickey selected Robinson from a list of promising black players and interviewed him for possible assignment to Brooklyn's International League farm club , the Montreal Royals . Rickey was especially interested in making sure his eventual signee could withstand

438-439: A confidant for Robinson, a Christian. Toward the end of his PJC tenure, Frank Robinson (to whom Robinson felt closest among his three brothers) was killed in a motorcycle accident. The event motivated Jackie to pursue his athletic career at the nearby University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he could remain closer to Frank's family. After graduating from PJC in spring 1939, Robinson enrolled at UCLA, where he became

511-538: A few words into Robinson's ear", which Robinson later characterized as "words of encouragement". Greenberg had advised him to overcome his critics by defeating them in games. Robinson also talked frequently with Larry Doby , who endured his own hardships since becoming the first black player in the American League with the Cleveland Indians , as the two spoke to each other via telephone throughout

584-599: A game between the Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies , Phillies players and manager Ben Chapman called Robinson a " nigger " from their dugout and yelled that he should "go back to the cotton fields". Rickey later recalled that Chapman "did more than anybody to unite the Dodgers. When he poured out that string of unconscionable abuse, he solidified and united thirty men." However, Robinson received significant encouragement from several major league players. Robinson named Lee "Jeep" Handley , who played for

657-532: A jump of 25 ft. 6 + 1 ⁄ 2 in. on May 7, 1938. As at Muir High School, most of Jackie's teammates were white. While playing football at PJC, Robinson suffered a fractured ankle, complications from which would eventually delay his deployment status while in the military. In 1938, he was elected to the All-Southland Junior College Team for baseball and selected as the region's Most Valuable Player. That year, Robinson

730-588: A recession as it faced loan defaults and internal division. When it was shut down, Freedom National had $ 101.9 million in assets, two branches in Brooklyn, 22,000 depositors, and 97 employees. The bank had also struggled in the mid-1970s but was able to return to profitability. In 1990, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) bailed out depositors up to the U.S. government's $ 100,000 guarantee for deposits. The decision

803-755: A residential plot containing two small houses at 121 Pepper Street in Pasadena. Robinson's mother worked various odd jobs to support the family. Growing up in relative poverty in an otherwise affluent community, Robinson and his minority friends were excluded from many recreational opportunities. As a result, Robinson joined a neighborhood gang, but his friend Carl Anderson persuaded him to abandon it. In 1935, Robinson graduated from Washington Junior High School and enrolled at John Muir Technical High School . Recognizing his athletic talents, Robinson's older brothers, Frank and Mack (himself an accomplished track and field athlete and silver medalist behind Jesse Owens in

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876-540: A senior at UCLA, Robinson met his future wife, Rachel Isum (b.1922), a UCLA freshman who was familiar with Robinson's athletic career at PJC. He played football as a senior, but the 1940 Bruins won only one game. In the spring, Robinson left college just shy of graduation, despite the reservations of his mother and Isum. He took a job as an assistant athletic director with the government's National Youth Administration (NYA) in Atascadero, California . After

949-510: A speaking tour of the South. Between the tours, he underwent surgery on his right ankle. Because of his off-season activities, Robinson reported to training camp 30 pounds (14 kg) overweight. He lost the weight during training camp, but dieting left him weak at the plate. In 1948, Wendell Smith's book, Jackie Robinson: My Own Story , was released. In the spring of 1949, Robinson turned to Hall of Famer George Sisler , working as an advisor to

1022-401: A stand for Robinson. Manager Leo Durocher informed the team, "I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a fuckin' zebra. I'm the manager of this team, and I say he plays. What's more, I say he can make us all rich. And if any of you cannot use the money, I will see that you are all traded." Robinson was also derided by opposing teams. According to a press report,

1095-460: The 200 meters at the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics ) inspired Jackie to pursue his interest in sports. At Muir Tech, Robinson played numerous sports at the varsity level and lettered in four of them: football , basketball , track and field , and baseball . He played shortstop and catcher on the baseball team, quarterback on the football team, and guard on the basketball team. With

1168-557: The 761st "Black Panthers" Tank Battalion . While at Fort Hood, Robinson often used his weekend leave to visit the Rev. Karl Downs, President of Sam Huston College (now Huston–Tillotson University ) in nearby Austin, Texas ; in California, Downs had been Robinson's pastor at Scott United Methodist Church while Robinson attended PJC. An event on July 6, 1944, derailed Robinson's military career. While awaiting results of hospital tests on

1241-433: The American League on July 5, 1947, just 11 weeks after Robinson) and Satchel Paige played for the Cleveland Indians , and the Dodgers had three other black players besides Robinson. In February 1948, he signed a $ 12,500 contract (equal to $ 158,518 today) with the Dodgers; while a significant amount, this was less than Robinson made in the off-season from a vaudeville tour, where he answered pre-set baseball questions and

1314-633: The Boston Braves in March 1948, Robinson took over second base, where he logged a .980 fielding percentage that year (second in the National League at the position, fractionally behind Stanky). Robinson had a batting average of .296 and 22 stolen bases for the season. In a 12–7 win against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 29, 1948, he hit for the cycle —a home run , a triple , a double , and

1387-789: The Jersey City Giants ' season opener against the Montreal Royals , marking the professional debut of the Royals' Jackie Robinson and the first time the color barrier had been broken in a game between two minor league clubs. Pitching against Robinson was Warren Sandel who had played against him when they both lived in California. During Robinson's first at bat, the Jersey City catcher, Dick Bouknight, demanded that Sandel throw at Robinson, but Sandel refused. Although Sandel induced Robinson to ground out at his first at bat, Robinson ended up with four hits in his five at bats ; his first hit

1460-743: The St. Louis Cardinals threatened to strike if Robinson played and spread the walkout across the entire National League. Existence of the plot was said to have been leaked by the Cardinals' team physician, Robert Hyland, to a friend, the New York Herald Tribune ' s Rud Rennie . The reporter, concerned about protecting Hyland's anonymity and job, in turn leaked it to his Tribune colleague and editor, Stanley Woodward , whose own subsequent reporting with other sources protected Hyland. The Woodward article made national headlines. After it

1533-632: The 1880s. Born in Cairo, Georgia , Robinson was raised in Pasadena, California . A four-sport student athlete at Pasadena Junior College and the University of California, Los Angeles , he was better known for football than he was for baseball, becoming a star college player with the UCLA Bruins football team. Following his college career, Robinson was drafted for service during World War II but

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1606-455: The Dodgers' organization in January. In Sanford, Florida , the police chief threatened to cancel games if Robinson and Wright did not cease training activities there; as a result, Robinson was sent back to Daytona Beach. In Jacksonville , the stadium was padlocked shut without warning on game day, by order of the city's Parks and Public Property director. In DeLand , a scheduled day game

1679-619: The Dodgers, Rickey cashed out his one-quarter financial interest in the team, leaving O'Malley in full control of the franchise. Rickey shortly thereafter became general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates . Robinson was disappointed at the turn of events and wrote a sympathetic letter to Rickey, whom he considered a father figure, stating, "Regardless of what happens to me in the future, it all can be placed on what you have done and, believe me, I appreciate it." Chock full o%27Nuts Too Many Requests If you report this error to

1752-558: The Dodgers, for batting help. At Sisler's suggestion, Robinson spent hours at a batting tee, learning to hit the ball to right field. Sisler taught Robinson to anticipate a fastball, on the theory that it is easier to subsequently adjust to a slower curveball. Robinson also noted that "Sisler showed me how to stop lunging, how to check my swing until the last fraction of a second". The tutelage helped Robinson raise his batting average from .296 in 1948 to .342 in 1949. In addition to his improved batting average, Robinson stole 37 bases that season,

1825-644: The Los Angeles Bulldogs. Robinson then accepted an offer from his old friend and pastor Rev. Karl Downs to be the athletic director at Samuel Huston College in Austin, then of the Southwestern Athletic Conference . The job included coaching the school's basketball team for the 1944–45 season. As it was a fledgling program, few students tried out for the basketball team, and Robinson even resorted to inserting himself into

1898-535: The Monarchs, hitting .387 with five home runs , and registering 13 stolen bases . He also appeared in the 1945 East–West All-Star Game , going hitless in five at-bats. During the season, Robinson pursued potential major league interests. No black man had played in the major leagues since Moses Fleetwood Walker in 1884, but the Boston Red Sox nevertheless held a tryout at Fenway Park for Robinson and other black players on April 16. The tryout, however,

1971-501: The National League for five years. This is the United States of America and one citizen has as much right to play as another." Woodward's article received the E. P. Dutton Award in 1947 for Best Sports Reporting. The Cardinals players denied that they were planning to strike, and Woodward later told author Roger Kahn that Frick was his true source; writer Warren Corbett said that Frick's speech "never happened". Regardless,

2044-403: The Negro leagues, and black talents Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson were upset when Robinson was selected first. Larry Doby , who broke the color line in the American League the same year as Robinson, said, "One of the things that was disappointing and disheartening to a lot of the black players at the time was that Jack was not the best player. The best was Josh Gibson. I think that's one of

2117-496: The Negro leagues. Robinson accepted a contract for $ 400 per month. Although he played well for the Monarchs, Robinson was frustrated with the experience. He had grown used to a structured playing environment in college, and the Negro leagues' disorganization and embrace of gambling interests appalled him. The hectic travel schedule also placed a burden on his relationship with Isum, with whom he could now communicate only by letter. In all, Robinson played 47 games at shortstop for

2190-467: The New York Yankees at Ebbets Field with 24,237 in attendance. On April 15, Robinson made his major league debut at the relatively advanced age of 28 at Ebbets Field before a crowd of 26,623 spectators, more than 14,000 of whom were black. Although he failed to get a base hit, he walked and scored a run in the Dodgers' 5–3 victory. Robinson became the first player since 1884 to openly break

2263-849: The Phillies at the time, as the first opposing player to wish him well. Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese once came to Robinson's defense with the famous line, "You can hate a man for many reasons. Color is not one of them." In 1947 or 1948, Reese is said to have put his arm around Robinson in response to fans who shouted racial slurs at Robinson before a game in Boston or Cincinnati. A statue by sculptor William Behrends , unveiled at KeySpan Park on November 1, 2005, depicts Reese with his arm around Robinson. Jewish baseball star Hank Greenberg , who had to deal with ethnic epithets during his career, also encouraged Robinson. Following an incident where Greenberg collided with Robinson at first base, he "whispered

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2336-509: The Rev. Karl Downs. In 1946, Robinson arrived at Daytona Beach, Florida , for spring training with the Montreal Royals of the Class AAA International League . Clay Hopper , the manager of the Royals, asked Rickey to assign Robinson to any other Dodger affiliate, but Rickey refused. Robinson's presence was controversial in racially segregated Florida. He was not allowed to stay with his white teammates at

2409-782: The United States into World War II and ended Robinson's nascent football career. In 1942, Robinson was drafted and assigned to a segregated Army cavalry unit at Fort Riley, Kansas . Having the requisite qualifications, Robinson and several other black soldiers applied for admission to an Officer Candidate School (OCS) then located at Fort Riley. Although the Army's initial July 1941 guidelines for OCS had been drafted as race-neutral, few black applicants were admitted into OCS until after subsequent directives by Army leadership. The applications of Robinson and his colleagues were delayed for several months. After protests by heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis (then stationed at Fort Riley) and with

2482-414: The ankle he had injured in junior college, Robinson boarded an Army bus with a fellow officer's wife; although the Army had commissioned its own unsegregated bus line, the bus driver ordered Robinson to move to the back of the bus. Robinson refused. The driver backed down, but after reaching the end of the line, summoned the military police , who took Robinson into custody. When Robinson later confronted

2555-606: The charts; Count Basie recorded a famous version. Ultimately, the Dodgers won the National League pennant, but lost in five games to the New York Yankees in the 1949 World Series . Summer 1949 brought an unwanted distraction for Robinson. In July, he was called to testify before the United States House of Representatives ' Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) concerning statements made that April by black athlete and actor Paul Robeson . Robinson

2628-428: The first black player to openly play for a minor league team against a major league team since the de facto baseball color line had been implemented in the 1880s. Later in spring training, after some less-than-stellar performances, Robinson was shifted from shortstop to second base , allowing him to make shorter throws to first base. Robinson's performance soon rebounded. On April 18, 1946, Roosevelt Stadium hosted

2701-706: The government ceased NYA operations, Robinson traveled to Honolulu in the fall of 1941 to play football for the semi-professional, racially integrated Honolulu Bears. After a short season, Robinson returned to California in December 1941 to pursue a career as running back for the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the Pacific Coast Football League . By that time, however, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had taken place, which drew

2774-500: The help of Truman Gibson (then an assistant civilian aide to the Secretary of War ), the men were accepted into OCS. The experience led to a personal friendship between Robinson and Louis. Upon finishing OCS, Robinson was commissioned as a second lieutenant in January 1943. Shortly afterward, Robinson and Isum were formally engaged. After receiving his commission, Robinson was reassigned to Fort Hood , Texas, where he joined

2847-741: The inaugural Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award (separate National and American League Rookie of the Year honors were not awarded until 1949). That year, the Brooklyn Dodgers won the National League pennant and went on to face the Yankees in the 1947 World Series . Robinson became the first black player to play in the World Series. He appeared in all seven games, with the Dodgers ultimately losing in Game 7. Following Stanky's trade to

2920-561: The inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons from 1949 through 1954, and won the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first black player so honored. Robinson played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Series championship. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 in his first year of eligibility. Robinson's character, his use of nonviolence , and his talent challenged

2993-429: The inevitable racial abuse that would be directed at him. In a famous three-hour exchange on August 28, 1945, Rickey asked Robinson if he could face the racial animus without taking the bait and reacting angrily—a concern given Robinson's prior arguments with law enforcement officials at PJC and in the military. Robinson was aghast: "Are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?" Rickey replied that he needed

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3066-483: The investigating duty officer about racist questioning by the officer and his assistant, the officer recommended Robinson be court-martialed . After Robinson's commander in the 761st, Paul L. Bates , refused to authorize the legal action, Robinson was summarily transferred to the 758th Battalion —where the commander quickly consented to charge Robinson with multiple offenses, including, among other charges, public drunkenness, even though Robinson did not drink. By

3139-568: The lineup for exhibition games. Although his teams were outmatched by opponents, Robinson was respected as a disciplinarian coach, and drew the admiration of, among others, Langston University basketball player Marques Haynes , a future member of the Harlem Globetrotters . In early 1945, while Robinson was at Sam Huston College, the Kansas City Monarchs sent him a written offer to play professional baseball in

3212-522: The major league baseball color line. Black fans began flocking to see the Dodgers when they came to town, abandoning their Negro league teams. Robinson's promotion met a generally positive, although mixed, reception among newspapers and white major league players. However, racial tension existed in the Dodger clubhouse. Some Dodger players insinuated they would sit out rather than play alongside Robinson. The brewing mutiny ended when Dodgers management took

3285-475: The outstanding athlete at Muir, starring in football, basketball, track, baseball, and tennis." After Muir, Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College (PJC), where he continued his athletic career by participating in basketball, football, baseball, and track. On the football team, he played quarterback and safety . He was a shortstop and leadoff hitter for the baseball team, and he broke an American junior college broad-jump record held by his brother Mack with

3358-445: The picture's leading role, displays a calm assurance and composure that might be envied by many a Hollywood star." Robinson's Hollywood exploits, however, did not sit well with Dodgers co-owner Walter O'Malley , who referred to Robinson as "Rickey's prima donna ". In late 1950, Rickey's contract as the Dodgers' team President expired. Weary of constant disagreements with O'Malley, and with no hope of being re-appointed as President of

3431-689: The reasons why Josh died so early—he was heartbroken." Rickey's offer allowed Robinson to leave behind the Monarchs and their grueling bus rides, and he went home to Pasadena. That September, he signed with Chet Brewer 's Kansas City Royals, a post-season barnstorming team in the California Winter League . Later that off-season, he briefly toured South America with another barnstorming team, while his fiancée Isum pursued nursing opportunities in New York City. On February 10, 1946, Robinson and Isum were married by their old friend,

3504-471: The release of a film biography of Robinson's life, The Jackie Robinson Story , in which Robinson played himself, and actress Ruby Dee played Rachel "Rae" (Isum) Robinson. The project had been previously delayed when the film's producers refused to accede to demands of two Hollywood studios that the movie include scenes of Robinson being tutored in baseball by a white man. The New York Times wrote that Robinson, "doing that rare thing of playing himself in

3577-461: The report led to Robinson receiving increased support from the sports media . Even The Sporting News , a publication that had backed the color line, came out against the idea of a strike. Robinson nonetheless became the target of rough physical play by opponents (particularly the Cardinals). At one time, he received a seven-inch gash in his leg from Enos Slaughter . On April 22, 1947, during

3650-597: The school's first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports: baseball, basketball, football, and track. He was one of four black players on the Bruins' 1939 football team ; the others were Woody Strode , Kenny Washington , and Ray Bartlett. Washington, Strode, and Robinson made up three of the team's four backfield players. At a time when only a few black students played mainstream college football, this made UCLA college football's most integrated team. They went undefeated with four ties at 6–0–4. Robinson finished

3723-585: The season with 12.2 yards per attempt on 42 carries, which is the school football record for highest rushing yards per carry in a season as of 2022. Robinson also led the NCAA in punt return average in the 1939 and 1940 seasons. In track and field , Robinson won the 1940 NCAA championship in the long jump at 24 ft 10 + 1 ⁄ 4  in (7.58 m). Baseball was Robinson's "worst sport" at UCLA; he hit .097 in his only season, although in his first game he went 4-for-4 and twice stole home. While

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3796-488: The season. Robinson finished the season having played in 151 games for the Dodgers , with a batting average of .297, an on-base percentage of .383, and a .427 slugging percentage . He had 175 hits (scoring 125 runs) including 31 doubles , 5 triples , and 12 home runs, driving in 48 runs for the year. Robinson led the league in sacrifice hits , with 28, and in stolen bases, with 29. His cumulative performance earned him

3869-405: The short-lived Los Angeles Red Devils . In 1947, the Dodgers called Robinson up to the major leagues six days before the start of the season. With Eddie Stanky entrenched at second base for the Dodgers, Robinson played his initial major league season as a first baseman . Robinson made his debut as a Dodger wearing uniform number 42 on April 11, 1947, in a preseason exhibition game against

3942-560: The team hotel, and instead lodged at the home of Joe and Dufferin Harris, a politically active African-American couple who introduced the Robinsons to civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune . Since the Dodgers organization did not own a spring training facility, scheduling was subject to the whim of area localities, several of which turned down any event involving Robinson or Johnny Wright , another black player whom Rickey had signed to

4015-530: The time of the court-martial in August 1944, the charges against Robinson had been reduced to two counts of insubordination during questioning. Robinson was acquitted by an all-white panel of nine officers. Although his former unit, the 761st Tank Battalion, became the first black tank unit to see combat in World War II, Robinson's court-martial proceedings prohibited him from being deployed overseas, and he

4088-592: The track and field squad, he won awards in the broad jump . He was also a member of the tennis team. In 1936, Robinson won the junior boys singles championship in the annual Pacific Coast Negro Tennis Tournament and earned a place on the Pomona annual baseball tournament all-star team, which included future Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Bob Lemon . In late January 1937, the Pasadena Star-News newspaper reported that Robinson "for two years has been

4161-681: The traditional basis of segregation that had then marked many other aspects of American life. He influenced the culture of and contributed significantly to the civil rights movement . Robinson also was the first black television analyst in MLB and the first black vice president of a major American corporation, Chock full o'Nuts . In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank , an African-American-owned financial institution based in Harlem , New York. After his death in 1972, Robinson

4234-415: Was Wendell Smith , writer for the black weekly Pittsburgh Courier , who, according to Cleveland Indians owner and team president Bill Veeck , "influenced Rickey to take Jack Robinson, for which he's never completely gotten credit." Although he required Robinson to keep the arrangement a secret for the time being, Rickey committed to formally signing Robinson before November 1, 1945. On October 23, it

4307-474: Was court-martialed for refusing to sit at the back of a segregated Army bus, eventually being honorably discharged. Afterwards, he signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro leagues, where he caught the eye of Branch Rickey , general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who thought he would be the perfect candidate for breaking the color line in MLB. During his 10-year MLB career, Robinson won

4380-540: Was a farce chiefly designed to assuage the desegregationist sensibilities of powerful Boston City Councilman Isadore H. Y. Muchnick . Even with the stands limited to management, Robinson was subjected to racial epithets. He left the tryout humiliated, and more than 14 years later, in July 1959, the Red Sox became the final major league team to integrate its roster. Other teams, however, had more serious interest in signing

4453-488: Was a three-run home run in the game's third inning . He also scored four runs , drove in three, and stole two bases in the Royals' 14–1 victory. Robinson proceeded to lead the International League that season with a .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage , and he was named the league's Most Valuable Player. Although he often faced hostility while on road trips (the Royals were forced to cancel

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4526-536: Was an American professional baseball player who became the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. The Dodgers signing Robinson heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball, which had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since

4599-408: Was arrested after vocally disputing the detention of a black friend by police. Robinson received a two-year suspended sentence, but the incident—along with other rumored run-ins between Robinson and police—gave Robinson a reputation for combativeness in the face of racial antagonism. While at PJC, he was motivated by a preacher (the Rev. Karl Downs) to attend church on a regular basis, and Downs became

4672-494: Was born on January 31, 1919, into a family of sharecroppers in Cairo, Georgia . He was the youngest of five children born to Mallie (née McGriff) and Jerry Robinson, after siblings Edgar, Frank, Matthew (nicknamed "Mack"), and Willa Mae. His middle name honored former President Theodore Roosevelt , who died 25 days before Robinson was born. After Robinson's father left the family in 1920, they moved to Pasadena, California . The extended Robinson family established itself on

4745-667: Was never in combat. After his acquittal, he was transferred to Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky , where he served as a coach for army athletics until receiving an honorable discharge in November 1944. While there, Robinson met a former player for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League , who encouraged Robinson to write the Monarchs and ask for a tryout. Robinson took the former player's advice and wrote to Monarchs co-owner Thomas Baird. After his discharge, Robinson briefly returned to his old football club,

4818-668: Was one of 10 students named to the school's Order of the Mast and Dagger ( Omicron Mu Delta ), awarded to students performing "outstanding service to the school and whose scholastic and citizenship record is worthy of recognition." Also while at PJC, he was elected to the Lancers, a student-run police organization responsible for patrolling various school activities. An incident at PJC illustrated Robinson's impatience with authority figures he perceived as racist —a character trait that would resurface repeatedly in his life. On January 25, 1938, he

4891-552: Was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his achievements on and off the field. In 1997, MLB retired his uniform number, 42, across all Major League teams; he was the first professional athlete in any sport to be so honored. MLB also adopted a new annual tradition, " Jackie Robinson Day ", for the first time on April 15, 2004, on which every player on every team wears no. 42. Jack Roosevelt Robinson

4964-464: Was postponed, ostensibly because of issues with the stadium's electrical lighting. After much lobbying of local officials by Rickey himself, the Royals were allowed to host a game involving Robinson in Daytona Beach. Robinson made his Royals debut at Daytona Beach's City Island Ballpark on March 17, 1946, in an exhibition game against the team's parent club, the Dodgers. Robinson thus became

5037-414: Was publicly announced that Robinson would be assigned to the Royals for the 1946 season. On the same day, with representatives of the Royals and Dodgers present, Robinson formally signed his contract with the Royals. In what was later referred to as "The Noble Experiment", Robinson was the first black baseball player in the International League since the 1880s. He was not necessarily the best player in

5110-456: Was published, National League President Ford Frick and Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler let it be known that any striking players would be suspended. "You will find that the friends that you think you have in the press box will not support you, that you will be outcasts," Frick was quoted as saying. "I do not care if half the league strikes. Those who do it will encounter quick retribution. All will be suspended and I don't care if it wrecks

5183-435: Was reluctant to testify, but he eventually agreed to do so, fearing it might negatively affect his career if he declined. In 1950, Robinson led the National League in double plays made by a second baseman with 133. His salary that year was the highest any Dodger had been paid to that point: $ 35,000 ($ 443,237 in 2023 dollars). He finished the year with 99 runs scored, a .328 batting average, and 12 stolen bases. The year saw

5256-568: Was second place in the league for both doubles and triples, and registered 124 runs batted in with 122 runs scored. For the performance Robinson earned the Most Valuable Player Award for the National League. Baseball fans also voted Robinson as the starting second baseman for the 1949 All-Star Game — the first All-Star Game to include black players. That year, a song about Robinson by Buddy Johnson , "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?", reached number 13 on

5329-499: Was seen as a serious "blunder", in contrast to FDIC's treatment of the vast majority of "800 bank failures in the last four years". In those cases, FDIC did not just pay off insured accounts, but instead facilitated new owners to take over failed banks so that the customers received all their money back. This United States bank–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972)

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